Exhale
by snitcheyes411
Summary: After the war is over, Harry meets Draco at the ministry. Don't own, don't sue.


Harry looked around at the crowded ballroom, grinning.

After the defeat of Voldemort and the initial round of celebrations, a huge crackdown began on the remaining Death Eaters. Under the leadership of Kingsley Shacklebolt, Minister of Magic, and Minerva McGonagall, Headmistress of Hogwarts, there was absolutely no mercy spared to active Death Eaters, but a great deal of mercy given to their children.

Given a chance to live without the stigma of their parent's hate, the students had proven valuable informants in rounding up the remaining Death Eaters. Harry was surprised to find that Voldemort's pure blood mania had not corrupted a younger generation of wizards. The Slytherin house, for example, had undergone an amazing transformation. Many students had made huge sums of money by selling their parent's dark artifacts, and almost as many tried to repair their damaged reputations by donating that money to various charitable causes. Then, without their parents breathing hate into them, they had managed to focus on their studies and graduate with whatever N.E.W.T.s were necessary to go into whatever career they wanted, muggle or wizard.

Draco Malfoy was one such student. He had donated the Malfoy Manor and all of its dark secrets to the ministry, save a few items of personal significance. He then used his pull with the ministry and N.E.W.T. scores to gain the position of potions master at Hogwarts. He was rumored to surpass even Snape's legacy as a genius with a caldron.

Harry watched as Draco stood across the dance floor, chatting with Neville. Neville and Draco had started working together at Hogwarts and had quickly become friends.

Harry walked over to the drinks table for more champagne. Today was the two-year anniversary of Voldemort's defeat, and so far the party was a big success. The ministry's atrium was packed with the most influential people in the wizarding world. Minerva McGonagall, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Head of the Department of Mysteries Hermione Weasley, Auror Chief of Staff Dean Thomas, and Chief of Ministry Security Seamus Finnegan were all present to attract attention from the press, in the form of Ginny Longbottom and Luna Lovegood.

Harry watched as Luna Lovegood questioned Dean about several new additions to the Auror Department. He hadn't had to answer questions from annoying reporters for over a year now. _'Not that Luna was ever that bad with her interviews,' Harry thought. 'Ginny, though, she was brutal.'_ Harry and many others felt that they had endured all of the war action they could take. After the war was over they either kept their part in the reconstruction efforts quiet or dropped from the public eye altogether. Eventually the media would lose interest in favor of more active members of society. Harry was now comfortably settled as Defense against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts.

"Well, well, well. Fancy seeing you here Potter," said a light voice to Harry's left. Harry turned to find Draco Malfoy standing there, glass in hand, smirking at him.

"I figure I have as much right as anybody to have a little fun," Harry replied with a frown.

Malfoy's expression sobered. "Relax Potter, it was a joke. I'm actually glad you're here. We work together and I hardly ever see you. You're always holed up in your study."

"I've been busy," Harry muttered. He had been busy, and he was more than a little surprised that Malfoy had noticed this.

"Well, I'm glad you came," Malfoy said, smiling.

Harry was floored. He'd never seen Malfoy smile before, and despite the man's changed reputation he had never really expected too. "I'm glad too," he found himself saying.

Malfoy lowered his eyes and looked out across the dance floor. "It's just another party. My family had attended several in years past, but I don't think any of them were as…" he stopped and sighed gently. "Oh, I don't know, _happy_ as this one. Our world now seems to sparkle like a muggle fairy tale." He turned to look at Harry again. "And it's all thanks to you."

Harry scarcely knew how to respond to this. "Thank you, I think. But why? Why are you saying this?"

Malfoy's smile turned bittersweet. "I just wanted to say…thank you. And I'm sorry for the way I've acted. I'm sure you've heard every excuse in the book, so I won't bore you, but I am sorry."

Harry just stood there, speechless at this outpouring of confessions from a Malfoy.

Draco gathered his courage and tried again. "I was hoping we could start again Harry." He held out his hand.

Harry recovered his wits, grabbed Draco's hand, and pulled him close, embracing him with everything he had.

"Oh, thank Merlin." Draco exhaled and relaxed. Harry murmured softly.

Then a loud click and a flash of purple smoke blinded both for a moment.

"Oh YES! Eat your heart out Luna; this is front page news for sure!" Ginny Longbottom dashed through the smoke and left the atrium.

**************************************

The next day Harry was in a place he never expected to be again: the front page of the Daily Prophet.

And looking at Draco sitting next to him, chatting idly about his plans for the day over breakfast, Harry found that he couldn't be assed to care.


End file.
